Battle Unicorn - Beast Machines - Figure

One of the most, if not the, desired toys from the Beast Machines line, Battle Unicorn doesn’t exactly live up to the hype once he’s out of the package. Being the last toy released in the Battle for the Spark line of Beast Machines toys, Battle Unicorn has the distinction of being one the most under-produced, poorly distributed Transformers toys. And because of this, auctions on eBay went as high as $100+. Fortunately, I found it at retail.

Tech Specs
Maximal: Battle Unicorn
Function: Scout Warrior

"What the enemy does not see can definitely hurt them!"

At first, Vehicons thought Battle Unicorn would be an easy target - but then they had to fight against him. Underneath his striking, armored facade is an extremely powerful warrior. Hooves are silent on any terrain but stomping causes seismic disturbances that scramble Vehicon receptors. Armored horn can penetrate most metals and alloys with destructive results. Skill with battle-ax in Robot Mode causes Vehicons to scatter the second he converts. In both modes, special armor plating makes Battle Unicorn invisible to Vehicon radar. Uniquely able to teleport within a 500 foot radius. Certain Vehicon Generals still doubt he really exists.

Beast Mode
Packaged in his Unicorn mode, Battle Unicorn is mostly black and gray with some clear blue and red highlights. When his Spark Crystal is rotated forward, his head moves as well, making for a head-butting action feature. While he does feature a fair amount of articulation points, his mobility is limited due to his design.

Transformation
Considering the ease of transformation of most of the basic sized Transformers throughout the Beast Wars and Machines lines, Battle Unicorn is fairly complicated and is noted as being in-between intermediate and advanced on the packaging. You start by separating the rear halves of the unicorn, removing the mane/tail. Swing down the robot feet that are tucked inside the rear upper legs. Then, rotate the robot legs up and over the unicorn head and close them around the head. Extend the front legs and push the shoulder pads back. Rotate the robot hands out and turn the shoulder pads up. Finally, place the main/tail in his hand to arm Battle Unicorn with his battle-ax.

Robot Mode
Still sporting the same color scheme as in unicorn mode, Battle Unicorn has a little more red showing in that his forearms are made up of clear red plastic. Articulation points include the hips, shoulders and neck. So, he’s not nearly as posable as other Transformers of late. His overall look resembles a samurai warrior with the details on the shoulder pads, the bulk in his upper legs and especially his helmet design. And about those shoulder pads, they have a nasty habit of popping off. While that usually isn’t too much of a problem for most Transformers toys these days, on Battle Unicorn it proves difficult to reattach. The two tiny pegs that hold each in place rotate around the shoulder and the holes in the pads themselves are tiny to match, making for some frustration should they pop off.

Overall
Battle Unicorn is a neat toy. He’s one of only two equestrian Transformers to date and looks pretty good in both modes. Transformation is needlessly difficult for a toy of this size and the shoulder pad issue also detracts from the overall experience. If you can get him for a decent price, I’d recommend picking it up, but he’s not worth the large amounts of money some have paid for him.